Truth Sets You Free
by accioweasleys4
Summary: There's an old saying that says the truth will set you free. But does it set Seamus free when he runs into Hermione at the Yule Ball? AU.


**A/N This was written for the Stretch Your Boundaries Competition and some other challenges on HPFC. I used the prompts transformation, run,(can't) couldn't turn back now. We had to write a new pair, and I thought I'd try my hand at Hermione/Seamus. I think it turned out ok.**

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Seamus wasn't having a good time at the Yule Ball at all. He thought that it would be a good idea to ask Lavender to be his date because she was one of his best friends, but that seemed to ignite her crush on him again. She got extremely giggly around him and blushed whenever he said something. She also was clingy. Seamus hadn't wanted to go to the ball with her, but Hermione Granger had announced that she was going with somebody already.

He wanted to ask her, but he never plucked up the courage because he imagined Ron cursing him for asking his best mate out. Seamus also had a feeling that Ron liked the girl as more than a friend, so that made Hermione off-limits. But his heart didn't seem to care. Seamus had liked Hermione since their first year.

Hermione had made a spectacular transformation that night. People couldn't stop staring at her, including himself. Lavender and Seamus were slow dancing, and he winced when he suddenly got a slap from her. "OW! What was that for?" he demanded to know.

"Why did you ask me to the ball if you aren't going to pay attention to me?" Lavender demanded to know. Her hands were on her hips, and she looked infuriated.

Seamus looked at her in amazement. "I'm dancing with you! That's more than what Harry and Ron are doing!"

"But you aren't _talking_ to me. We're best friends. You usually talk more than this. And you don't keep looking at another girl."

Seamus heaved a sigh as he shrugged her hands off his shoulders. "Can I be honest with you?" he asked her bluntly.

Lavender smiled and placed a hand on his cheek. "Of course you can."

"This just feels like it's more than friendship, Lavender. I don't think I'm ready for that yet." Seamus looked down and expected to hear the worst from her.

Lavender rolled her eyes at him. "I wasn't expecting a relationship. I'm going to dance with somebody who will appreciate me as a partner." She glanced around the room and pointed at a guy from Durmstrang. "Oh, look. That guy has been_ eying _me all night. I'm going to ask him to dance with me." She gave him a cold look and turned to run away.

Seamus ran a hand through his hair as she walked away. So she had figured out that he was looking at another girl all night. But did she know that it was Hermione? She didn't seem figured that bit out yet. He supposed he could've been nicer to her as a date, but he couldn't turn back now. They were best friends. He'd make it up to her somehow.

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He walked out of the Great Hall and came to a halt when he saw Hermione crying on the steps. Seamus looked around and saw that she was completely alone. Victor wasn't around, and neither was Ron. He couldn't leave her like this though. He had to comfort her.

Seamus tentatively approached her and sat down next to her. "Hermione?" he asked her softly, hoping that he wouldn't startle her.

Hermione jumped and quickly started wiping her tears away. "Hi, Seamus," she answered softly, turning to look at him. "You look like you've had a rough night. Where's Lavender?"

He ran a hand through his hair nervously and sighed. "She's dancing with somebody else. I didn't really pay attention to her the way I should've," he admitted.

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. "You boys are so stupid," she said, smacking his shoulder lightly. "You have no idea how to treat a girl. We have feelings too, you know."

Seamus winced at her words, though he immediately felt defensive. "We know how to treat girls… we just don't know how to deal with them when we have feelings for them." He was dangerously close to the truth then.

"We aren't foreign creatures, you know," Hermione snapped with her hands on her hips. "We just want the truth."

Seamus grew quiet as he stared at her. Without thinking, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. Hermione gasped in surprise, but she didn't pull away from him when he lowered his head and kissed her on the lips. Butterflies appeared in his stomach when she wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him back.

She looked dazed when he pulled away from her. "What was that for?" Hermione asked him softly, placing a hand over her lips in shock.

"The truth," Seamus answered honestly. "I'm sorry for how tonight worked out for you. I've also fancied you since first year. You're the smartest person I know. I can't seem to stop thinking about you, especially lately. Will you be my girlfriend?" Seamus hadn't planned on asking her that question tonight, but it slipped out before he could stop it.

"I…" Hermione looked shocked at first, but she suddenly smiled and kissed him quickly on the cheek. "Yes. I'll be your girlfriend."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading this! Sorry if it might've been a bit out of character.**


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